In what’s likely the most expansive film project in Colorado history, the CO150 film fest has released its list of 150 Colorado-related movies that help define the state’s identity, curators said.
And yes, they’re ranked.
Among the top five in the list of films set or shot in the state, or directed by Colorado-reared names, are Quentin Tarantino’s brutal, star-studded Western “The Hateful Eight” (No. 5); Spike Lee’s Oscar-winning “BlacKkKlansman” (No. 4); director Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” (No. 3); and “True Grit” starring John Wayne (No. 2).
And the number-one film? That would be the 1969 Robert Redford-Paul Newman buddy-Western “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Some scenes were filmed in Silverton, Telluride, Durango, around the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad — plus the iconic jump off Trimble Bridge in Las Animas, according to co-presenters Switchboard Strategies and Denver Film.
What’s even better: Coloradans can see those top 25 films in person across the state, as each will screen at an independent theater or community space. Alamosa, for example, will host a screening of “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (No. 20 on the list), which shot its opening scenes there. A film from East High School graduate Don Cheadle (“Hotel Rwanda,” No. 34) will screen in Denver, while Boulderites can watch the Jennifer Garner-led romantic comedy “Catch and Release,” which was set and partially shot in that city.
The Top 25 are listed below, and you can see the full schedule of screenings, locations, special events, guests and ticketing links at .
“By showing selections from the CO150 in a slew of diverse and hyper-local venues, we will open the sesquicentennial to Coloradans across the state,” Switchboard CEO Rob DuRay said in a statement. “This once-in-a-lifetime celebration will inspire Coloradans to get off the couch, visit historic venues all over the state and celebrate together, the way movies are meant to be seen.”
were voted on by the public, giving programmers and industry professionals quite a few titles to pick from. Films stretching back to the late 1800s were considered, curators said, and the current list is now “the most comprehensive catalog of its kind to date,” given that it contains descriptions of each film’s connection to Colorado, they said.
While only the top 25 films will be screened, there will be a tidy 150 screenings total at more than 30 venues, organizers added. Screenings officially began May 23 at the Frontier Drive-Inn in Center with “Butch Cassidy,” and will continue throughout the summer. They include notable events such as the 20th anniversary showing of “Little Miss Sunshine” at Red Rocks on July 13 as part of the Film on the Rocks series. That event is co-sponsored by the Sundance Film Festival as part of the programming run-up to its January debut in Boulder.
Each live screening will be preceded by short films, music videos, and presentations from filmmakers, artists, critics, and other Colorado creative workers. Screenings will officially conclude in late October at the Denver Film Festival with a surprise title, curators said.
The CO150’s Top 25 films
25. Ticket to Tomahawk
24. National Lampoon’s Vacation
23. Downhill Racer
22. Little Miss Sunshine
21. Wargames
20. Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade
19. In the Line of Fire
18. A League Of Their Own
17. 127 Hours
16. Misery
15. Stagecoach
14. National Lampoon’s A Christmas Vacation
13. South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut
12. Elevation
11. About Schmidt
10. Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (1995)
9. Dr. Strangelove, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
8. Badlands
7. Dumb & Dumber
6. City Slickers
5. The Hateful Eight
4. BlacKkKlansman
3. The Shining
2. True Grit
1. Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid
